The Growth of Enterprise Pedagogy

Dr Mark Brown’s article “The growth of enterprise pedagogy” is critical from the outset of the way that ICT is implemented in modern pedagogical systems, he sees ICT, as it is now, as being infected by neo-liberalist ideologies that promote profiteering and fear mongering. Brown suggests that in order to counter this trend within ICT we must ask five important considerations. 

Who is telling the ICT story and why? 

How are they telling the ICT story? 

What is it they are telling/promoting about ICT? 

What is missing? Whose voice is not being heard? Whose story is not being told?

How are different people understanding and responding to the ICT message?

These questions are aimed at forcing us to reexamine the default attitude towards ICT that has been popularised in recent years. Brown notes in his conclusion that teaching is an inherently political activity, thus these questions aid us in recognising the role that popular and political discourse play in constructing the basis and aims of our educational system. 

A bridge too far? Explaining beginning teachers’ use of ICT in Australian schools

Frank Bates in his article, "A bridge too far?", explains that Information Communication Technologies (ICT) is not being fully utilized in the current Australian educational context, despite teachers and regulators best intentions towards equipping children with a skillset to live in a digital society. Frank investigates a number of case studies within WA, he does note that the relatively small number of participants in his study undermines it somewhat, and argues that the current state of the incorporation of ICT in the educational system is thoroughly lacking. He refers to a framework explored by Mishra and Koehler, who developed the concept to combine technological knowledge along with pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK Framework). Frank’s findings are reinforced are by my own experiences within education systems within primary, secondary and tertiary levels where teachers consistently demonstrate high levels of pedagogical and content knowledge but very low ICT competencies. 

More information about Frank Bates

Digital Natives

Bennett and Maton suggest, within their article "Beyond the ‘digital natives’ debate", that typical methods of conceptualising the role of technology within education is mistaken. They posit that a new way of conceptualising the debate can be developed from a more skeptical position, where educational researchers approach technology with a more objective outlook. Such that technological and educational innovations are evaluated on their merits and not preemptively incorporated into the curriculum before we are more informed regarding the efficacy of new methods in relation to more established pedagogical methodologies. Bennett and Maton highlight the “sense of urgency” which often surrounds this debate, they sagely suggest that educational researchers approach the topic with an “agnostic” position, thus avoiding being caught up within technology worship that is very real and potentially dangerous aspect of our society which underscores debate about education within developed nations. This kind of outlook prevents people taking advantage of “the urgency”, a phenomenon that we can already see occurring within Australia where self appointed technological-education gurus are touting Ipads and mobile devices as the most important development to the syllabus in the last 50 years.    

Surveys

Obsurvey is just one website dedicated to collecting information through surveys. It's simple and easy to use. It's a great tool for teachers as it allows them to gather data quickly and efficiently. It can be used in a variety of ways. One example, is getting to know how the students like to learn best and how they feel about particular topics.


Getting To Know You

Google Archives

 

 

Google News Archives: A great way of getting students to work on their research skills whilst drawing conclusions and comparisons to their lives and the past. There are numerous topics which can be covered. It's simple to do, just search 'news archives' in Google and type in a subject.

 

 

Skype: A classroom application

 

 

Skype is no longer just a tool to communicate with relatives and friends; its use has expanded to include educational purposes, too.

Teachers are discovering that Skype is a great way to break down the walls of the classroom. One such way is by bringing language learning to life. Students use Skype to make international links with native speakers. Students gain access to authentic language learning by cultural immersion.

 



PhotoFunia


PhotoFunia

PhotoFunia is an online photo editing tool that is both easy and fun to use.

Five ways PhotoFunia can be used in a classroom:

1) Students can create personalised cards to give out to family or friends.

2) The class could create a funny classroom montage that could be displayed on the interactive whiteboard.

3) Can be used as a introductory activity into photo editing.

4) It's a great tool for teaching children about online safety and uploading photos and personal information.

5) The class could create a story board using their pictures. Each student could take a turn writing a short sentence to make a funny story.

Brain Pop

Brain Pop website


Brain Pop is an interactive online website for teachers and students. It’s a great learning tool as it incorporates educational videos, games, quizzes, lesson plans and free resources. Brain Pop is divided into subject areas so it’s easy to navigate and find an appropriate and relevant topic. The downside of Brain Pop is the cost. Educators would need to consider how they would use it in the classroom to ensure they are getting value for money.   

Go Wild Yourself

This website is great for children (and adults). It is a lot of fun and can be used for educational purposes.

Teachers could use this website in the classroom for:

1) The students make their wild self and then write a story about what they eat, where the live etc. Perfect for creative writing.

2) Students look at various animal adaptations and discuss why these occur.

3) Can be used as an ice breaker. The children can take turns in introducing their wild self.

4) Students can use this website as a tool for self reflection. Students who have low self confidence can create a new self.

5) Teachers can use this website as a way of exploring mythical creatures and the legends behind them. It would be a great way of introducing the topic.

Why mobile technology makes sense in the 21st century classroom

Justine Isard, in her article "Why mobile technology makes sense in the 21st century classroom", writes a detailed argument for the use of technology in schools. Isard’s position is made clear in the second paragraph when she writes “First of all mobile technology has a place in the 21^st century classroom and yes it does get results.” Isard then hunts further and even refers to the current generation as the ‘touch generation’.

Isard refers to a 2012 study that was published in Time Magazine to back up her opinion. The study 'revealed' that students who used Ipad technology scored better in literacy tests than those who did not. I have a problem with this study being used as a evidence for two reasons, one being that Time Magazine is not a peer reviewed source, therefore any study which gets published may not necessarily be factual. The second reason is that schools with Ipads are generally, and I am being general, on the higher end of the social economic spectrum. These schools would perform better in literacy tests anyway, as they have more resources available to them as well as supportive teachers and parents. 

Other than Isard’s selective evidence, what I also find interesting is that she does not provide a single counter argument for the downside of using mobile technology. A couple of those arguments would include that iPads and phones, whilst beneficial, can also be highly distracting. On top of this, teachers would always need to provide a back up plan if the technology is not working. I thought to myself, what does Isard gain from writing such a one sided article, and with a quick Google search of her name I found that she has a special interest in the expansion of mobile technology in schools. Isard provides professional development to schools and businesses, charging from nearly $300 to $500 per day. In regards to this, I think parents and teachers need to be wary of sensationalized arguments for the value of mobile technology. 

To view tweets from article author Justine Isard

 

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the use of technology in schools. Can teachers make the most of the resources which are now available to them? Should they? How should it be implemented?

The article "Too Cool for School? No Way!" attempts to break down these questions and educate the reader on what exactly is technology, how pedagogy and content play a role in the implementation of technology, as well as the redefinition of how technology is currently being used.

The TPACK Framework is one you may not be familiar with. You would however, be familiar with the notion of pedagogy and content informing each other to facilitate student's learning and development. In laymen's terms, having relevant and meaningful content only goes so far, teachers need to have a well developed and successful teaching style in order to truly educate effectively. Mishra and Koehler delve further into this notion and add that technological knowledge is just as important as pedagogical and content knowledge. Thus the creation of the TPACK Framework.

The article states that "Effective teaching represents a 'dynamic equilibrium' between content, pedagogy and technology". I agree with this notion, there needs to be a balance between the three ideas to create a happy medium. In my opinion, technology should not be used in isolation 'just for the sake of using it'. Instead, a goal must be in mind when creating a lesson plan which incorporates ICT. This must be carried out through effective pedagogy and supported with authentic content.

Critics might argue that teachers, particularly those who are not comfortable with technology, do not know how and do not have the time to incorporate technology. Mishra and Koehler suggest that "teachers need to develop a willingness to play with technologies and an openness to building new experiences for students so that fun, cool toys can be educational". Whilst this all sounds good in theory, Mishra and Koehler fail to provide a comprehensive explanation as to how teachers should actually do this. They suggest integrating two or more subjects to incorporate technology. However, even this idea seems vague and still leaves teachers out on their own to 'figure it out'.

The TPACK Website